Wallsburg to Vivian...It's an adventure.

Some time ago we read or heard about, I forget which, a trail that begins in Wallsburg Utah and ends at Vivian park in Provo canyon. We tried riding it from Vivian, but the trail was steep and ridiculously rocky and loose. We don't mind Hike-a-bikes, but that was too much and too far. After some research we were finally able to find and connect the trails, from Wallsburg to Vivian, and the result was amazing views and  beautiful singletrack all culminating in a long loose and rocky descent.

Climbing up from Wallsburg, the trail was over grown and rough in places. This trail is frequented more by motorcycles than bicycles. We loved the remote feeling it offered. The climb is shaded and nice.

The views on the way up are amazing. After some climbing we came to the spot we thought was the top. There was a great view, as well as a great place to stop and re-fuel. We were dead wrong. After relaxing we began to pedal and within 100 feet saw the trail climb steeply in front of us. Later the gps tracks would show it was about a 1700 vert feet hike a bike. I mean, sure those who are in super shape could ride parts of it but for a heavier-out-of-shape rider, it was a hike a bike. After some frustration, we reached another summit, which finally lead to the downhill.

 

There are no pictures of this downhill ride. Partly because Guthrie was a head of me, mostly because it is a rough, baby-head filled, hand jarring long descent. Don't get me wrong, we loved it, but the entire ride took concentration and muscle to not fly off the trail into the bushes, which, although much effort was exhausted to prevent, occurred quite frequently.  The descent is what makes it an adventure trail, the ride is fantastic, overgrown, and rocky and loose at the end, but we will definitely do it again as we keep on exploring one trail at a time.

 

Wallsburg to Vivian Park

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking near Provo, Utah

Relentless and Rewarding

Someone once told me, regarding mountain bike racing, that if you ever got off your bike you should be instantly disqualified. I responded by suggesting that if you never got off your bike, you probably were not riding difficult enough trails. Whether my statement is true or not, lately it has seemed that the relentlessly steep trails seem to lead to some of the most rewarding areas and riding.

For some time we have been wanting to try and ride to Cascade Saddle from Big Springs. We heard it was steep, knew it was a popular motorcycle trail and had ridden the first 3 miles where it did indeed get steep, but could not find any gps tracks or much about it after that. Supposedly it is 5 or 6 miles to the pass.  Saturday we decided to give it a try.

Miles 1-2 are normal riding, scenic, nice trail, kosher stuff, 2-3 get steeper with some hike-a-bike,  3-4 the riding stops and the pushing and carrying begins. But this is not your momma's hike a bike. These are steep, loose chutes, that climb straight up the mountain in places.  But, the views, the views were incredible.

In the end, we didn't make it all the way to the top. Snow began to cover the trail in a lot of places and a huge avalanche, above, blocked the path entirely. We hiked over it for sometime, but not knowing what to expect and needing to get home for a city carnival we promised to take our kids to forced us to turn around.

The views were fantastic, the climb was even fun, but descending this trail is pure bliss. The top is a hang back, super steep, baby head filled, rocky chute decent, followed my mellow rough trail riding and finally smooth cruising.

After it was all said and done, we ended up climbing 3,100 feet in 4.1 miles. The ride able part is about 15% grade and after that I have no idea. It took us about an hour and a half up and 20 minutes down, but it is worth every second. We heard that you can access the top of this trail from a ride in Wallsburg, the plans are already in place...finding new rides, one trail at a time.

Grafton with Guacamole

Grafton is as rough and Gnarly as the pioneers that first settled there. We met up at the cemetery and spent some time reading the grave markers. Indians, sickness, and even a swinging accident was the cause of many of those resting there.  It is remarkable how tough those initial settlers were.

 The final trail to the valley was cut by those pioneers into the side of the Mesa to get timber. Ravines and gullies were filled with rocks until the trail was usable. In recent years that trail has been resurrected by Mountain bikers, but it hasn't lost a bit of it's original grit. The scenery isn't bad as well, although as we stood on the overlook below, before the final descent, I wondered if the people who originally lived here, after a long day of gather wood during a long hot summer day in a location that can begin to feel like the surface of the sun, thought is was. I am doubtful. 

We were lucky to ride it with someone who has spent some time exploring the upper trails and was able to link together a great system of trails. The link below is the GPS to that track;

Grafton Mesa at EveryTrail

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Utah

The trail ends with some pretty decent drops and one gap jump. Guthrie decided to try one of the more mellow ones, I opted for the easy way out and longer way around. This one actually looks works from the bottom.

We ended up riding it twice then went into Springdale for some lunch. After a long lunch, drawn out by a St. Patrick's day parade through town, then out of town will all the cars leaving, we headed up to Guacamole.

The trail is fairly, mellow, intermediate, with small elevation gain, but still a lot of fun, with some good views. 

Guthrie tried out the Bronson on some a few steep drops and was impressed with how easy they seemed, or at least I was.

The only drawback to the day was the Maxxis Ardent 2.25 tire. Here is our review; it sucks don't buy it. If it does last more than two or three rides, you will suffer constant flats and lack of traction. On the positive side, it was fairly easy to get off the rim, so a new tire could replace it.  

Grafton is on our list as a favorite. There are a lot of options out there and opportunities to keep exploring one trail at a time. 

It's not about the size

I remember it like yesterday. 

Riding down the street, with thoughts focused on another adventure, my buddy cut in front of me and I went down hard. The left cantilever brake broke off, sheering the welded brake boss from my cherished and well used Diamond back ridge runner. 

I loved that bike. The world, and trails seem to come alive on it. I first rode Hogs Hollow on that bike. My first ride up American Fork Canyon was in its saddle. It became my pathway to adventure. My next bike was a Diamond Back ascent, top of the line at the time, bought with money saved during a long summer working construction. Believing  bigger was better, at only 5'9" I bought an XL. The shop manager, my uncle, tried to talk me out of it, but I was convinced I wanted the biggest and the best. I loved that bike, but it never fit me. I could never get balanced, never seemed comfortable. Hills were steeper, corners were tighter, and rides just seemed longer. 

I learned my lesson. Size Matters.

25 years later and that lesson remains. I am slow to change my bike, once it fits, I stick with it. I sat, at the back of the pack mostly, and watched as other shortened their stems, widened their bars, dropped their seats and pulled farther away from me on the descents. After 5 years I finally gave in. First, a shorter stem. Next, a dropper seatpost...incredible. Third, wide bars, 750 mm to be exact. 

Riding seems new again. The descents are faster and sharper. Trails seem different, more flowy, scenic and adventurous. The wild seems less, and more, wild. I wish I had done it sooner, yet I don't. Biking, Mountain biking, is about staying connected to the past, the trails, but it is more than that. It is about staying connected with myself. Change is good, bigger can be better, but with all the change we cannot lose the spirit that brought us into the sport, the reason we ride. Perhaps that is the reason I didn't want to change, I didn't want to lose that connection to the ride, that past, the reason and the desire to keep exploring one trail at a time. 

Las Vegas - A Different Perspective

This past weekend we packed the family up for a trip to Vegas.  The in-laws bought a townhome down there, so we wanted to take a few days and do some fun stuff outside.  Our typical Vegas trip is walk on the strip, go to a buffet or show.  This time was all about getting outside away from how we typically experience Vegas from a different point of view.

 

The first day, I woke up early and headed to Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City.  The plan was do ride part of the Banzai enduro course to experience what Bootleg has to offer.  After some research, I was going to take a shuttle up and ride.  However, I arrived well before any shuttle would come.  Another mtn biker came down and I asked him about the trails.  He said to pedal up the road to boy scout and only ride the front side unless I had body armor and a DH bike.  I typically follow locals’ advice, but decided to pedal up Girl Scout to caldera since nobody was out yet.

Girl Scout was a nice easy climb and then I decided to do inner caldera.  It was fun.  When I hit the road again, I went up to boy scout and I remembered what the local said.  “Only ride the front trails if you have body armor and a DH bike” I didn't have a DH bike or body armor, but decided it could be fun to try.  After all, I could just walk down if it was too crazy.  I went up to where the DH tracks start and did Armageddon, Snakeback, BC to the bike park area.  It was a blast!  It has been a bit since I felt nervous on a bike, but with the rocks, loose dirt around off camber corners and steep sections kept me on my toes.  The local wasn't kidding that if you ate it without body armor, it would not be good.  The rocks are jacked.  It made for a fun/different ride.  Then I pedaled back up to the top of boyscout and came down to the car via boyscout, girl scout, and another trail.  It was a good ride and it was off for some hiking with the family.

The next day I went over and did the cowboy trails.  I knew little about these trails, but saw a youtube video of one called kibbles and bits.  They said it was more challenging than it looked, so I thought I would give it a go.  Kibbles and bits was a super fun trail and offered some good views of red rock canyon area.  It was a bit more technical, but nothing an intermediate rider couldn’t clear.  I made my way up to the top and I don’t remember all the different trail names, but I made my way to an “expert” level rated trail called bomb voyage.  This trail was amazing!  It was loose, rocky, steep, included a few drops and technical bits.  I really enjoyed riding it.

 

The cowboy trails were different than bootleg and I actually enjoyed them more.  It was a really good weekend and hope to make it down there a bit more during the cold months here in Utah.

Selective Snowshoeing

We are selective snowshoers. If the snow is not deep and decent, we usually opt for cross country skiing, or more happily a bike trip to somewhere warm in place of strapping on the snowshoes. Last year I only went twice.  This year the snowshoes have remained in their place hanging next to an old picture of Glen Plake and skis that had been out much too infrequently. With a major mountain snowstorm forecast for the weekend, we decided it was time to get out.

We headed up American Fork canyon, with high hopes and were not disappointed.

We began climbing up pine hollow. As we climbed the falling snow alternated from blizzard like conditions to blissfully falling, this was going to be a good day. My father in the background is 72 years old.

Stopping for a minute at the bottom of little puke climb up to the ridge trail.

We made it to the large valley, where the snow was very deep and untracked. Here my father turned around but, owing to our sense of adventure, we broke trail through the meadow to the salamander flat overlook.

We only ended up snow shoeing about 5 miles, a relatively short trip, but with the snow as good and deep as it was, it was well worth it. 





SANTA CRUZ ALUMINUM BRONSON REVIEW

 

This last year has been a little unusual for my mountain biking.  I sold the Stumpy EVO to get another bike and it didn’t work out the way I planned and didn’t really have a bike for a while.  Then the wife and I had another baby and with everything going on, it was a bit more difficult to get out.  

 

After a few months of searching, I was able to get the new aluminum Bronson.  Now, I LOVED my EVO, but the Bronson made it a little easier to move on.  I’ve ridden it quite a bit over the last few months and have taken it to Moab, Sedona, Park City, and quite a few local trails here in Utah.  All the Bronson reviews I can find happen to be on the $10,000.00 Carbon dream bike, so I thought I would offer my thoughts on the Aluminum model.  It doesn’t have anything fancy like the XO1 or XX1 drive train, the pike, Kashima coated suspension, or any of the other latest and greatest things that I would assume most people don’t have yet.  I built it with a Shimano XT 2X10 (with SLX crank) drive train and the suspension is the 2014 fox float CTD, flow EX rims, and DTswiss hubs.

 

First off, I am no expert or English major.  There will be grammatical errors and this is my opinion on the bike.  However, I do ride quite a bit on a variety of terrain and have ridden a variety of bikes.  I tried to make myself love the 29er, but after a lot of riding the big wheel, it just never happened.  They were fast, but it looks like I prefer the smaller wheel sizes.

 

Anyway, the short review of this bike is it is awesome. 

 

Getting the bike set-up.

Long story short.. it took me several rides to get it set up.  I’ve heard of people going on a test ride and hating it.  I would understand why they feel this way.  The first half dozen rides, I always felt the need to adjust something on it.  I finally got it dialed and it is a blast to ride.

 

Going UP…

 

This bike is a very capable climber and feels lighter than the 31.8 lbs the scale suggests.  After climbing a lot in both Trail and descend mode, it actually feels better in descend mode unless you like spandex and climbing paved roads.  You can tell a difference in Trail, but if you are into real mtn biking and pedaling over rocks or roots on real trails, it keeps its traction better with the switch to the “D” setting. Even with it in descend mode and you get on the pedals, there is little discernible shock movement or pedal bob. 

 

The Bronson is a good technical climber, but the one drawback with the rear suspension stiffening up while pedaling is over multiple rocky ledges going uphill.  It doesn’t smooth those climbs as well as some other designs.  You can still make the climb, but it isn't as smooth or fun sometimes.  The only place I really noticed was on a couple climbs in Moab and Sedona, but most climbs it hasn't been an issue.  I guess this is a trade off for more efficient pedaling on flats etc were I appreciate the added pedal platform.  With that being said, as long as I have the power to keep pedaling, the bike will keep going.

 

Going DOWN…

 

This is where you really appreciate the Bronson.  The faster you go, the better the bike works.  There are a few rocky descents near my home that people generally avoid when they ride.  I like those kinds of descents and the Bronson just seems to eat up the rocky stuff going down.  I was so surprised the first few times I rode it, I had to get off, push my bike back to the top and re-ride some sections because I thought I had missed hitting some of the roughest places.  It is incredible! 

 

It is crazy smooth and cornering is a blast.  The bike allows you to really exit corners with more speed than I was used to and offers a whole lot of confidence on fast wide open descents. It doesn't matter if it is smooth, rocky, rooty, muddy, dusty or hard, the Bronson loves going fast and will allow you to push a speed you're wife wouldn't be comfortable with.

Other things to consider...

One thing that caught my attention on this bike, other than it looks good, is the ease of maintenance.  You can service all pivots without even taking the drivetrain off and it has a threaded BB instead of stupid pressfit!  That is a huge win.

SC also offers a lifetime warranty on the bearings!  Just send them in and they will send you new ones back.  What other company does that?  None that I can think of.  They also have a 5 year warranty on the frame and lifetime crash replacement deal.  They will get you a super discounted new frame if this one ever breaks..  Which, by looking at the construction, won't ever happen.

This bike will last a long time and if you're like me, this is very important to mention to my wife after spending a few bills on a new bike.

 

Overall Take:

 

If you like going fast and having fun on a solid bike, the Bronson should be on your short list.